INTERNAL STRESSES WITHIN THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH (USA)

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Overview:

Church conflicts have arisen in the past between those who support
traditional interpretations of the Bible, and human rights activists. The topic
under consideration changes. Past crises have been over the right of
African-Americans to live free of slavery, and of women to seek ordination. The
main present conflict is whether gays and lesbians may attain equal treatment in
the church. Gays and lesbians in committed relationships seek ordination and
recognition of their civil unions.

These conflicts have the power to generate a schism within the denomination.
It is unclear whether the Presbyterian Church (USA) will be able to steer itself
to a compromise solution without splitting the church.

Past crises in the church:

The "The Presbyterian Church (USA) was
founded in 1983, with the merger of the United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America
and the Presbyterian Church in the United States. This healed a major split
in the denomination which had lasted for almost five generations. In the mid-19th
century,
Presbyterians -- and other large national denominations -- had split along
north/south lines over the issue of slavery. Presbyterians and other mainline denominations
have gone through additional crises during the 20th century, without schism:

The Fundamentalist - Modernist controversy of the 1920's. The
church had to decide whether to retain its traditional, historical
beliefs, or to absorb modern theological ideas concerning biblical inerrancy,
whether the authors of the Bible were directly inspired by God, the search for the historical Jesus,
the existence and nature of Hell, etc. A commission,
organized in 1925, successfully avoided a denominational schism. Some liberal
ideas were accepted by the denomination.

Female ordination: During the middle of the 20th century,
various liberal and mainline denominations agonized over whether to allow
women to be ordained. Largely secular forces had
shifted the mood in the U.S. and Canada towards equal opportunity for
women. Conservative elements within various churches continued to interpret the writings
of Paul as having permanently excluded female ministers. One by one, the
denominations reinterpreted the Bible and accepted the secular standards; they
started to ordain women. In 1939, the United Methodist Church was
the first of the large mainline churches to change. The
Presbyterian Church (USA)and the Presbyterian Church in Canada followed suit in 1956 and 1958.

Bob Davis is director
of the denominational renewal group Presbyterian Forum. At the 212th
General Assembly of the year 2000, he commented: "One side says we understand Scripture to say
homosexual behavior is sinful, the other says it is a gift from God.
Those are pretty disparate positions."

Rev. Dirk Ficca was severely criticized by conservative Presbyterians
for suggesting that God might save Jews, Muslims, and other non-believers
in Christ.

The gulf is wide and appears unbridgeable:

Conservative Presbyterians generally side with Fundamentalist and
other Evangelical denominations in their belief about the nature of
homosexuality. They view it as sinful, condemned by
the Bible, abnormal, unnatural, chosen and changeable. They encourage
gays and lesbians to seek therapy to change their sexual orientation to
heterosexual. A small minority of psychologists and psychiatrists offer
reparative therapy to effect this change.
There are many dozens of conservative Christian ministries who offer
support to gays and lesbians who seek to become heterosexuals. Because of
their view that all homosexual behavior is sinful, conservative
Presbyterians typically believe that sexually active gays and lesbians
should be denied ordination and church recognition of their committed
relationships. They also reject
religious pluralism -- the concept that the main religions of the
world are all legitimate, valid, and true -- when viewed from within their
particular culture. A logical development from this rejection of pluralism is that non-Christians
cannot be saved and attain Heaven. Some of the organizations within the Presbyterian church
which promote these beliefs are:the National Korean Presbyterian Council,
Presbyterian Coalition, Presbyterians for Renewal, Presbyterian Forum, The Presbyterian Layman
(a periodical),
and the Presbyterian Renewal Leaders
Network.

Liberal Presbyterians generally side with the vast majority of mental health professionals,
human sexuality researchers, gays, lesbians and religious liberals. They
view homosexuality as normal and natural for a minority of adults. It is
neither chosen nor changeable. They reject efforts to change a person's
sexual orientation as useless and potentially devastating. They see safe sexual activity within a
committed, monogamous relationship to be free of sin, whether the couple
is gay or straight. They view gay ordination and recognition of gay
relationships as fundamental human rights issues. Denial of these rights
are akin to racism and sexism. They also generally accept
religious pluralism: the concept that religions
other than Christianity are valid, and that their followers can gain
salvation and attain Heaven without trusting Christ as Lord and savior. Some Presbyterian groups promoting these
beliefs are: the Covenant
Network of
Presbyterians and More Light
Presbyterians.

At the 1978 General Assembly, a resolution was passed, welcoming gays and lesbians as members,
but prohibiting them from being ordained unless they promised to remain celibate. Gay and
lesbian ministers who were already ordained were allowed to remain. By the
mid-1990s, each annual General Assembly was being inundated by dozens of
overtures (resolutions) regarding ordination of
homosexuals. Later in the decade, resolutions were brought to the General
Assembly concerning commitment ceremonies (aka civil unions) for gays and
lesbians.

In 1999, the General Assembly voted to begin a two-year moratorium on
discussions related to gay/lesbian ordination.

Late in the year 2000, a group of 113 presbytery executives and other officers issued
a statement calling for a "third way" out of the
impasse over sexuality issues in the PC(USA) through dialog. Several
gay-positive Presbyterian groups agreed to dialog, but five leaders of
the main conservative group, Presbyterian Coalition, refused
to cooperate. Their statement said, in part:

"Involvement in the issues of our day and church,
including meeting with those with whom we disagree, has never
been, nor is it now, about our way, or their way, or some other
third way which might be mutually satisfying. Rather it is about
Christ's way. Alone. Therefore, we have not, and we will not,
engage in any search for an alternative to Scripture's
clear and plain teaching."

Additional liberal - conservative theological conflicts:

During the years 2000 and 2001, two additional controversies have emerged:

Criteria for salvation: The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)'s
statement of faith, regards salvation as a process. It states:

"Through Jesus' death and resurrection God triumphed over sin.
Presbyterians believe it is through the action of God working in us that
we become aware of our sinfulness and our need for God's mercy and
forgiveness. Just as a parent is quick to welcome a wayward child who has
repented of rebellion, God is willing to forgive our sins if we but
confess them and ask for forgiveness in the name of Christ."5

The implication is that salvation is only possible through belief in
Jesus Christ and prayer to the Christian God. This implies that four billion humans (two out of every three
people on earth), who are non-religious, or who follow non-Christian religions
like Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Taoism etc. will not be saved. Thus, they will
automatically go to Hell when they die.

Rev. Dirk Ficca discussed the criteria for salvation at the
Presbyterian Peacemaking Conference in Orange, CA, during the summer of
2000. According to PCUSA NEWS, Rev. Ficca,
"suggested that an omnipotent and merciful God might provide other
avenues to salvation for Jews and Muslims and other non-believers in Christ."
This suggestion ignited a firestorm of protest from conservative elements
within the Presbyterian Church. The church's General Assembly Council (GAC)
subsequentlyrestated
"the Lordship of Jesus Christ and our salvation through Christ." However, the GAC
did not specifically comment on the salvation status of non-Christians. 1 More details

Denial of ordination
for women: The Presbyterian Church (USA) started to consider
women candidates for ordination in 1956. Now, almost five decades later,
it may reverse this policy. Various overtures (resolutions) have been
received for inclusion on the agenda of the church's 213rd
General Assembly during 2001-JUN. One group of overtures deals with female
ordination. They would empower individual congregations to refuse to
consider female candidates for ordination purely on the basis of their
gender. 2

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Theological commission proposal:

During May, General Assembly moderator Syngman Rhee endorsed a proposal to form a theological
commission similar to the one created in 1925 during the Fundamentalism -
Modernism crisis in the church. Its purpose would be to try to guide the
denomination safely through its present disturbance -- called by some,
the "Presbyterian civil war." PCUSA News reported: "General
Assembly moderator Syngman Rhee has endorsed a proposal to create a 'theological
commission' to try and steer the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) through the
turbulence that threatens the church as the 213th General Assembly prepares to
convene...This 'commission' might enable us
to discern the way the Spirit is leading us in the future, a way that we as
Presbyterians can walk together, if not in unanimity, at least in unity. I am
convinced that this way can only be discerned through much prayer in the unity
of the body of Christ, which is the church. We must sit down together, we must
pray together, we must discern together, we must act together, seeking all the
while the mind of Christ, that our actions may reflect, not our own agendas, but
the will of God. This requires of us humility more than honor; listening more
than lecturing; being loving more than being right."

On JUN-11, PCUSA News reported that: "The Rev. Syngman Rhee, moderator of the 212th General Assembly (2000),
Elder
John Detterick, executive director of the General Assembly Council, and
the
Rev. Clifton Kirkpatrick, Stated Clerk of the Assembly, each supported the
idea being formally brought to the Assembly through Overture 01-33 from
the
'Presbytery of John Calvin' in Missouri. This overture calls for a
commission, that would report back to the Assembly four years hence, in
2005." The three leaders addressed the Peace, Purity and Unity of the
Church Committee. PCUSA News reported that "They voiced their support
of a commission
to take a 'more foundational approach' to resolving the conflicts faced by
the denomination. They also discussed probing deeply into our confessions
of faith and possibly writing a new confession." Elder
John Detterick stated:
"As we struggled with divisive issues in the past, we've often tried to
find
narrowly-defined solutions. Perhaps it's
time to step back and look at the larger issue and say, 'Is there a more
foundational approach to understanding who we are and what we are arguing
about and what our beliefs really are?' "

The Rev. Syngman Rhee commented:"As I traveled around this
year, I found a lot of people who have become disillusioned
[and]
discouraged, because the central stage of our church has become a
battleground...The people are longing to have a way to deal with these difficult issues
in
a constructive and graceful way. That's why I was grateful to see some of
the overtures from different presbyteries to create a commission."

The 213rd
General Assembly:

The Assembly started in Louisville, KY, on 2001-JUN-9. The two year
moratorium on discussions on lesgay ordination has ended.

Moderator: The new moderator is Jack Rogers. He
describes himself as agreeing with conservatives within the denomination
on "nearly every issue except [that he favors] the ordination of gays
and lesbians." Having friends in both the liberal and conservative
camps, he feels that he can bridge the gap between the warring
factions. He notes that the church has historically reversed
direction on issues like slavery and the ordination of women "as a
result of more careful reading of scripture and openness to the Holy
Spirit." He believes the church will eventually do the same with gay
and lesbian ordination.

Criteria for Salvation: Overtures from the Presbyteries of San Joaquin, San
Diego and Beaver-Butler expressed concern that the U.S. is
rapidly increasing in religiously diversity. In opposition to
religious pluralism, they wanted to emphasize that salvation comes
through Jesus Christ alone. The implication of their position is that religions other
than Christianity are false and deceptive spiritual paths, whose members
are lost.

The General Assembly approved the following
statement:

"As a witness to what we believe, we affirm the following
statement:

"We confess the unique authority of Jesus Christ as Lord. Every
other authority is finally subject to Christ."

"Jesus Christ is also uniquely Savior. It is 'his life, death,
resurrection, ascension and final return that restores creation,
providing salvation for all those whom God has chosen to redeem.'
Although we do not know the limits of God's grace and pray for the
salvation of those who may never come to know Christ, for us the
assurance of salvation is found only in confessing Christ and trusting
Him alone. We are humbled in our witness to Christ by our realization
that our understanding of him and his way is limited and distorted by
our sin. Still the transforming power of Christ in our lives compels
us to make Christ known to others." More details

Theological commission becomes a task force: The Peace,
Purity and Unity Committee asked the 213th General Assembly
to form a task force instead of a commission. A commission would have been
composed of only ministers and elders; thus gays and lesbians would be
effectively prevented from serving. The Committee
proposed a 17 member commission, balanced in terms of race, gender, sexual
orientation, and representing the theological diversity within the
denomination. The task force would seek the peace, purity, unity and
mission of the church. It is to cover issues of Christology, Biblical
authority and interpretation, ordination standards and power, and other
issues the task force may choose. In addition, the task force is to "develop
a process and an instrument by which congregations and governing bodies
throughout our church may reflect on and discuss the matters that unite
and divide us, praying that the Holy Spirit will promote the peace, unity,
and purity of the PC(USA)." It would make an interim report to the 2003 General
Assembly and a final report to the 2005 General Assembly.

91% of commissioners voted in favor of the task force.
Moderator Jack Rogers commented that the General: "Assembly has
mandated that these people consult very widely in the church, and that
their results be reported back, not just to a General Assembly, but to the
church at large."

Survey of Presbyterian ministers:

The Presbyterian Panel, the research arm of the church, released a
study in 2001-AUG of 2,150 church leaders: pastors, non-pulpit clergy,
elders and lay members. The survey found that 73% of church ministers
expected a split on liberal - conservative lines. They said that it is
"very" or "somewhat" likely that in the next 50 years "a
large group will split off...to form a new denomination." However,
six in ten churchgoers disagree.

Two PCUSA leaders acknowledge possibility of schism:

PCUSA News reported on 2001-OCT-15 that two leaders of the church
have acknowledged the possibility of a liberal/conservative split in
the church. The Rev. Clifton Kirkpatrick, the denomination's stated
clerk, and the Rev. Jack Rogers, moderator of the General Assembly,
made their comments just before the opening of the OCT-10 meeting of
the Committee on the Office of the General Assembly (COGA).
Kirkpatrick had recently attended a meeting of the Presbyterian
Coalition, an organization of evangelical and conservative
networks within the PC(USA). About half of the presbytrys at the
meeting voted to include "gracious separation" from the
denomination as an future option if the denomination does not back
away from the current pressure to grant gays and lesbians equal rights
to heterosexuals in the denomination. He came away from the meeting
with a sense that some Presbyterians feel so deeply alientated about
the ordination of sexually active homosexuals that they are thinking
not "if" but "when" the split will happen. 11

Moderators' Conference -- 2001-DEC-1 & 2

Over 120 moderators of middle governing bodies of the Presbyterian
Church (USA) attended a conference in Louisville, KY. They heard many
calls for moderation:

The Rev. Jack Rogers, moderator of the 213th General Assembly,
pleaded with the attendees to "stop our Presbyterian civil war"
and help the membership
"rediscover the love that brought them together in the first
place." He quoted earlier conflicts in the denomination which
have long since been settled:

A prominent 19th-century southern Presbyterian pastor argued
that "the hope of civilization itself hangs on the defeat of
Negro suffrage."

A leading Presbyterian theologian in the Northern church once
warned that "all virtue in civilization would be lost if women
were emancipated from the rule of men."

He observed that much of that hostility is caused by "artificial
controversies [fomented by people who] want the church to be a
homogenous group - want us all to look alike, think alike and act
alike...we benefit from interaction with people unlike ourselves."

The Rev. Jack Haberer asked the moderators to "pursue a policy of
ecclesiastical détente" to help the church "get past this seeming
cleavage." He is an evangelical minister from Texas. He feels that his
own interaction with liberals in the church "has enriched me." He
characterized the PC(USA) as "the
think-tank for the (global) church." Haberer pointed out that in earlier
controversies over slavery, women's rights and divorce, "It was
Presbyterians who came up with the right answers." He called for
Presbyterians who "have gravitated into enclaves of agreement [to]
discover the virtue of patience...[and] speak the truth in love."

Barbara Wheeler, president of Auburn Presbyterian Theological
Seminary, NY, referred to the church's "tug-of-war over sexuality."
She suggested that both sides give up their stubborn insistence that "our
party is correct, and the other party is wrong."

The Rev. Clifton Kirkpatrick, the denomination's stated clerk, suggested
that, "when Christians disagree among themselves [and begin] questioning
one another's motives...the devil can have a field day." He said that
the sexuality conflicts are minor compared to other denominational
challenges, including "the 25-to-30-year trend of loss in membership and
vitality of this church" and "a decline in the number of ministers
and the quality of pastoral leadership."

The Rev. Joe Small, head of PC(USA)'s Office of Theology and Worship,
urged the moderators to resist tendencies to "demonize each other, place
blame, and categorize our opponents as 'the bad guys." He continued:
"The center of our life is Jesus Christ, and He is our peace. Let us go
forward, knowing that the future is in God's hands and that all will be
well." 12